Steve trailed behind Hatta Hatta as they hurried through the labyrinthine corridors, their steps echoing in the vastness of the courts. Emerging into a grand hall, Steve wasted no time and pressed forward, driven by a sense of urgency.
“Let me cast an invisibility spell,” Hatta told him. “Give me your hand.”
Minutes stretched like endless threads as both men pushed through, finally, they exited then emerged onto a street teeming with bewildered bystanders. Amidst the crowd, two Peacewalkers attempted communication with the courts, but the silence from within was deafening.
Steve and Hatta found a discreet spot, concealing themselves from curious gazes.
"The spell will last for about one more minute, let’s hurry."
Steve nodded.
During those fleeting moments, Hatta gripped Steve's hand, and they darted away, arriving at the entrance of an unassuming café, its doors tightly shut against the chaos outside.
Steve's gaze was drawn back to the imposing building of the courts, nestled within the old district, adjacent to The Wall. This barrier severed the courts from the rest of the city, and at its gate, an assembly of Peacewalkers stood sentinel, guardians of a city in tumult.
“There are so many,” Hatta mumbled, his finger pointing skyward. "What are those machines?"
"Albans," he replied, his eyes widening as he beheld the spectacle above. Hundreds of Albans soared through the sky, a mechanical army that eclipsed the clouds. Steam billowed from their engines, rendering the sky an ethereal blend of machinery and mist. "The army is employing the Albans for civilian evacuation."
"Albans?" Hatta asked, scratching his chin in contemplation.
"Airships, military in nature. They encompass various types: armored, bombardiers, and personnel carriers. While there are civil variants, none appear to be present here."
“Why is the sky getting so dark?” Hatta asked.
“Most Albans I know use steam-powered engines, which makes gray smoke.”
“However, this is black smoke.”
“They might be new Diesel-powered engines. Why is the army deploying such advanced technology?”
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Silence enveloped them, both captivated by the mechanical ballet overhead. The Albans, though soaring thousands of feet above, emanated a cacophony of clinking gears and whirring mechanisms.
Steve finally broke the silence. "What happened to Alice?" He voiced the question that had gnawed at him since their escape.
"I was about to ask you the same," Hatta replied, his voice heavy with concern. "Can you recount the events before I found you?"
Steve recounted the enigmatic scene in Alice’s other world, where the clocks and inexplicable phenomena defied all logic.
“Alice had an unsettling smile and vacant eyes,” he sighed. “I’ve never seen her behave like that before.”
Hatta nodded as he listened to Steve's story, his brow furrowing in consternation. "Miss Alice's actions are atypical, suggesting potential manipulation by an external force."
"I can't be certain," Steve confessed.
"Alice has conjured the land of the mirror, Legeips, my homeland. Yet, this is a feat she should not be able to do!"
Steve frowned. "What do you mean?"
"It happened many years ago on the Meru Amart, the Mountain of God, nestled amidst the peaks known as Altair Amarts, the Mountains of the Eagles," Hatta recounted. "Alice, in our world, is infamous for slaying The Author on that very mountain. However, before his final breath, The Author left behind something significant. In his notebook, which chronicled the fates of all creatures, he inscribed a singular name."
"What do you mean?"
"Although The Author erased all historical records of Alice's existence in my world, he left just one single note: 'and Alice died, as she went to her own world.' That is all he wrote. It's the reason she was reborn here. The Author's recollection of Alice's name seems to have influenced her naming in this world. Alice's mother must have sensed that her name should be Alice. Why The Author did what he did remains a mystery."
Steve raised a crucial query. "If The Author erased her from history, how is it that you remember her?"
"The Author erased her history from the world but not my memory, not the memory of her few loved ones," Hatta clarified. They had reached an evacuated restaurant, however, closed, and the owners didn’t bother to store the tables and chairs inside. Steve sat, looking at the sky at a loss for words.
"Something has triggered her memory of those times. Someone has resurrected her forgotten past, revealing the existence of Legeips and advising her to harness the power of my universe to conquer yours. She wields a power and recollections that are no longer rightfully hers. We must stop this descent into madness before the two worlds collide, and the consequences become irrevocable."
“How is this even possible? Alice, my daughter… from another world?”
“That’s right,” Hatta nodded. “If it serves as consolation, I still don’t know why I am here or how I got here. I was just sleeping, and then suddenly I’m here!”
Steve sighed, closing his eyes.
“You took this information very well, actually.”
“A lot of things have happened recently. I guess I don’t feel surprised anymore.”
He tried to process Hatta's words. Hatta instead, walked to the restaurant’s door and tried to open it to no avail.
“I really need a coffee!” Hatta told him, coming back to the table.
Steve heard a strident roar that even made the ground shake. Something had hit and destroyed one of the nearby buildings. The destruction sent huge pieces of debris and snow flying everywhere.
“What?” Both men shouted in unison.